Rodent poison feeder



RODENT POISON FEEDER Filed April 16. 1941 r4 F lehr a so ALLEN R.ALLBRIGHT INVENTOR FIG.6

ATT

feed tray covered;

Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES ATjENT OFFICE- RODENT POISON FEEDERAllen R. Allbr ight, Oakland, Calif. g Application April 16, 1941,Serial No. 388,806 (01. 43-131 1 Claim.

i This, invention relates to adevice for feeding poison to only certainanimals, and is particularly concerned with several improved features ofpractical importance as they affect safety of humans and animals otherthan animals trapped, protection against theft of the feeder oruncontents out through-the ports It, means are authorized interference,sturdiness and portability, convenience, etc., as will more fullyappearhereinafter. l

Other objects will become apparent from the following as considered inconnection with the accompanying. drawing, in. which:

Figure l is a view of two of the feeders arranged for carrying by onehand;

Figure 2 is a view of one feeder as appearing in use;

Figure 3 is ahorizontal section along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1; i

Figure 4 is a section at 4-4 of Figure 3, with Figure 5 is a plan of acover for the feeder tray;

Figure 6 is a section of the cover of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a view of a simple form of latch for the tray cover; and

Figure 8 is an enlargement of a portionof Fig. 4.

The drawing illustrates a substantially integral housing or envelope 2having the roof 4, sides 6, 8, l0, and I2, and bottom [4, all of metalpanels for example, brazed along the joints to form a substantiallysealed container except as provision is made for entrance and exit ofthe intended victims via ports It provided adjacent each corner. Thelower edges of ports l6 are on the level of the upper surface of awooden floor 18 so that water will not enter below the port thresholdand a relatively dry rodent inviting wooden floor is maintained even inwet surroundings such as in sheds, docks, restaurants, and out of doors.

One sidewall B has an authorizable access doorway 22 and sliding door3!] sliding in ways 26 formed by the wall edges above and below thedoorway and groove forming strips 28 brazed fastener 34 angled therefromforms the removable door 3ll which is to be locked by a padlock 36passing through fastener 34 and the wall s'ecured angle plate 38.

The feeding tray 4|] proper is removable through the doorway only whenthe door is open, and the size of the ports is such that no human, orvaluable animal, can have access to the tray unless the door beunlocked.

well as to prevent persons or animals from upsetting the feeder and thetray so as to spill the provided for fastening and unfastening thefeeder to a floor or to the ground, which means are accessible only fromwithin the feeder, access to which is deniable by thelocked door.Accordingly,. the bottom of the feeder is provided with hole'sfl'whichhave taperedseats for receiving thetaperedreduced portion 44 of thefeeder received shank 45 of anchor fittingy ls which may comprise atable forming disc and a wood screw 52.

The tapered portion of the anchor fitting 48 forms a seal in the floor,it being compressed by a long nut 54 screwthreaded on the fittingthreaded shank 56 against the tapered seats of holes 42. Shank 58extends upwardly through and. above the tray bottomfor ease of accessand location by the hand inserted into the feeder to fasten the nut 54,but its top and the top of the nut, are so proportioned that theyterminate below the tray coverway, and shank 56 is so short that itpermits removal of the tray through the door. It is preferred that thefeeding tray proper should also be fastened, and in the middle of thefloor [8, by the fittings 48 in order to reduce the number of parts. Thetray proper comprises a sheet metal open topped container havingpartition walls 58 with their top edges lying in a common plane so thata tray cover'6ll, sliding in grooves 62 formed by flanges 64 fastened tothree edges 66, E8, and N1 of the tray, may fully close each separatecompartment against poisoned food being spilled out.

The cover slides on and off the tray from the doorway of the housing,the fittings 48 and the tray being located to insure this arrangement.The cover 60 is det-achably secured to'the tray against slidingtherefrom by a pin 14 similar to a cotter pin, passing through holes 16and 18 in cover and tray.

The grain compartment of the feeding tray is providedwith a sloping wall82 on its inner side, the effect of which is to scrape poisoned grainfrom the under portions of a rats body as it leaves the grain bin, thepurpose being to miniinize the grain carried out by the animal anddropped outside the feeder where chickens or the like might find and eatit. v

A short distance within the ports I6, the roof of the housing isprovided with interiorly pro- In Order to prevent theft of thestructure, as 55 jecting lure-anchor loops 84 to which are removablysecurable lure hooks 86 to which lure bait may be fastened to entice thevictim to and through the ports [6.

Each feeder unit has a bail handle 88 fastened to the mid-region of oneedge, preferably a long edge, so that two feeders can be carried withone hand as one, and as illustrated in Figure 1.

In the use of the feeder, as illustrated in Figure 4, the feeder is incondition to be carried from one point to another, the baitand lures being held in the tray by the tray cover and the tray being fastened inposition within the feeder housing by the fitting 43 as described. Thepadlocking of the door can be effected during transport or storage, toprevent any possible interference with the contents of the tray. 7

When the feeder is placed on a poisoning site, the door is unlocked andthe tray cover'is removed. The fitting nut is now taken off, the fitting43 removed, and the feeding tray is removed for inspection, cleaning,and recharging with poisoned food.

The fittings 48 are fastened to the floor or other permanent base, andthen the housing and charged tray are placed over the fittings so as topass the threaded shanks thereof through the housing floor, and into thetray. The fitting nuts are .then fastened down to secure the tray to thehousing fioor, the lures are placed, if required, and the door emplacedand locked. In this condition, only the animals able to pass ports I6can obtain poison.

since the fitting 68 cannot be reached readily, it will be appreciatedthat the feeder cannot be removed by unauthorized persons; nor can it be,upset to spill out the contents as might be done by a coyote or dogwere the housing merely resting on the ground and. not anchored down.

A plurality of bails 92, as indicated in Fig. 3, may be provided withwhich the feeder may be anchored by cords to wooden stakes if desired.

I claim:

In a rodent poisoning device, a housing member having walls and bottomand top adapted to prevent access thereto except by a door and suitablysized rodent access openings, a doorway for 15 said housing and a doorfor said doorway; means for locking said door to close said doorwayagainst unauthorized entry; a tray adapted to contain poison and adaptedto be inserted into said housing through said doorway; anchor fittingsadapted for screw fastening to a wooden floor and having threadedportions for projecting upward from the floor, holes through the bottomsof the housing member and the tray adapted to receive the projectingportions of the anchor fittings, and means for engaging the threadedprojecting portions of the fittings, disposed within the housing, forsecuring the housing and the tray to such wooden floor, whereby, afterthe housing door is locked neither the housing nor the tray can beremoved from the fioor.

ALLEN R. ALLBRIGHT.

